PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia Flyers minor league enforcer was discharged Saturday from a hospital where he was taken after a seizure following a bloody fight.
Garrett Klotz was taken off the ice on a stretcher Friday night in the opening seconds of the Philadelphia Phantoms’ 2-1 victory over Manchester. His injury came just weeks after the death of a Canadian senior amateur player who hit his head on the ice during a fight.
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound right wing in his first season with the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate was discharged Saturday afternoon, a Pennsylvania Hospital spokeswoman said.
Phantoms spokesman Brian Smith had said earlier that Klotz was alert and responsive on the way to the hospital and watched the rest of the game on television.
Klotz and Kevin Westgarth, also 6-5 and 12 pounds heavier, removed their helmets and squared off immediately after the opening faceoff, with Klotz possibly retaliating for Westgarth’s Nov. 7 fight with the Phantoms’ Jeff Szwez.
The fight ended when Westgarth hit Klotz and dropped him to the ice, possibly knocking him out. Klotz appeared to land awkwardly on the boards — but didn’t hit his head — and convulsed for 30 to 40 seconds. He was on the ice for about 10 minutes before being lifted onto the stretcher.
“It was a scary incident,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told Comcast SportsNet. “But we just got word from our doctor that he’s clear. There’s no facial fracture. … It’s a scary ordeal, but he’s going to be fine.”
Friday’s bloody fight came on the heels of the Jan. 2 death of Don Anderson. The 21-year-old Whitby Dunlops defenseman had hit his head on the ice after losing his helmet while fighting Dec. 12 in an Ontario Hockey Association game.
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